Day case anaesthesia

The NHS Plan expects that day case surgery will constitute a high proportion of the work of many surgical subspecialities, benefitting patients with fewer cancellations in dedicated units and treatment that allows recovery at home with reduced risk of hospital-acquired infection. Patient and surgical selection should be protocol-driven to ensure safe practice and maximum clinical benefit with minimum risk. Questionnaires identifying social and medical factors should be based on national standards agreed with the local anaesthetic department. Preoperative assessment, driven by dedicated day care teams, should be undertaken in a timely manner avoiding delays or cancellations. Investigations should be based on published National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and local guidelines and should not be indiscriminate. Good recovery and pain relief protocols minimizes delays in discharge and increased expenditure and inconvenience.